Shiftable cowl fastener device



Nov. 20, 1945. HURH|LL 2,389,121

SHIFTABLE COWL FASTENER DEVICE Filed Jan. 6, 1943 my. a.

Patented New. 2%,

SHIFTABLE COWL FASTENER DEVICE Wilmer H. Churchill,

United-Carr Fastener Corporation,

Mass,

Saugus, Mass., asslgnor to Cambridge,

a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 6, 1943, Serial No. 471,398

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in rotary operative type fasteners, such as those employed for connecting airplane cowling sheets together, and aims generally to improve existing fasteners of that type.

More particularly the invention provides an improved construction of female fastener memhers and the attaching plate therefor and is an improvement over the construction shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 458,239, filed September 14. 1942.

Illustrative of the invention, reference is made I to the accompanying drawing showing a preferred form of my improved fastener, and in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the fastening as viewed from the female fastener side and illustrating my improved fastener member;

Fig. 2 is an elevation as viewed from one end thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof, as viewed from an opposite end;

Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view as taken on the line 4l l of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the female fastener member and attaching plate as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the attaching plate;

Fig. 7 is an end view illustrating how the attaching plate may be flexed in afiixing the female fastener member thereto; and

Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating one manner of flexing the attaching plate to permit removal of the female fastener member therefrom.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the invention provides new and improved means for shiftably attaching a female socket or fastener member to a suitable apertured support, such as an airplane cowling sheet, though it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of gen eral application and is not restricted to such use.

Rotary operative type fasteners, such as those used for securing airplane cowling sheets together, usually include a female fastener or socket member 5 suitably attached to one side of an apertured supporting sheet 2 and adapted to receive and interlock with a rotary male fastener member 3 rotatablymounted in a, part 4 to be secured to the support 2. The rotary male fastener element preferably is formed with lateral projections 5, such as radial arms, adapted to overlie and be engaged with a lockingseat 6 of the female fastener l spaced outwardly from the pport 2 upon turning of the male element 3 and thus hold the support 2 and part 4 in rigid fastened relationship.

The female fastener or socket member may be of any approved type and construction to receive and lockingly cooperate with the rotary male element 3. In the illustrated form the socket member l is of the type disclosed and claimed in the copending application of William A. Bedford, Jr., Serial No. 420,554, filed November 26, 1941, now U. 8. Patent No. 2,306,928 of December 29, 1942, for Rotary fastener devices and installations of the same.

Such socket members advantageously comprise a base portion 1 formed with an outwardly dished embossment 0;- seat 8 having a central aperture 9 with radial elongations 9 to receive the end of the stud 3 and radial arms 5 thereof, the marginal edge portions of the aperture presenting an upwardly sloping cam seat 6. Advantageously resilient wings l0 connected to the base extend upwardly and inwardly over the seat, the inner edges thereof being notched as at II to permit the passage of the end of the rotary male element therethrough. One side of saidwings I0 is preferably downwardly inclined and disposed above the radial elongations as at l2 so as to engage a radial arm 5 of the stud when in unlocked position to automatically eject the stud from the socket member.

. Another portion of the wing may be formed with a depending extension is extending toward the seat 6 for cooperation with the rotary male element to maintain it in fastened engagement with the seat. as disclosed inthe Bedford patent No. 2,306,928 aforesaid.

The base portion 1 is advantageously formed with lateral extensions l4 constituting bearing portions adapted to bear slidably upon an attaching member or plate.

The invention provides an improved attaching plate for shiftably mounting the female fastener or socket member I and for attaching it to its support 2 overlying the aperture thereof; According to the invention the attaching plate comprises a substantially flat bearing plate l5 formed of relatively thin, resilient material and having an enlarged central aperture l6 which preferably is substantially larger-than the aperture 9 of the embossment 8 of the socket member I. The plate I5 is preferably formed with other apertures H for the reception of rivets or like fastenings by means of which the plate may be secured to the support 2 and advantageously these apertures I! are found in extensions l8- extending laterally from opposite sides of said plate. Other opposite sides of the plate It intermediate the extensions I8 are formed with upstanding flanges is having apertures 20, providing apertured retainer portions or keepers for loosely receiving the bearing extensions ll of the female fastener or socket member I, the apertures 20 being Substantially longer than the width of the extensions I4 so as to permit the socket to be shiftable on the plate in the direction of the flanges I9. The flanges I9 are spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the socket member but less than the overall length of the extensions I4 thereof so ber, without tendency that the socket member I may be shiftable in a direction normal to the length of the flanges l9. -By means of the construction, the socket member I is universally shiftable in all directions across the face of the plate so as to be accurately aligned with the rotary male element or stud, even though such stud is not accurately aligned with the center of the opening of the sup- Advantageously the socket member I may be readily assembled with the attaching plate by a snap fastener action prior to attachment to the support 2. This may be accomplished by dividing one of the flanges I8 into separate relatively resilient and separable parts. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the metal on one side of the plate may be divided by a slot I8 extending from the aperture I6 outwardly and upwardly through the apertured flange I9 so as to divide the slotted flange I9 into two opposed yieldable portions IS. The yieldable portions I9" of the attaching plate thus are relatively flexible and resilient, being connected together only at the opposite side of the aperture I6, and the divided flange I9- presents oppositely directed lugs IS -I5 having opposed curved or cam-shaped guiding surfaces 2| providing a tapering entering throat between them.

In assembling the socket member on the attaching plate, one of the bearing extensions I4 thereof is inserted in the aperture of the undivided flange IS. The opposite extension I4 may be positioned readily in the slot formed by the aperture 20 in one of the yieldable flange portions l9 of on the opposite side of the plate, and one of the lugs is depressed to a position out of r alignment with the other lug, as is illustrated in Fig. 7. In this position one side-edge of the extension Il bears'on the cam surface 2| of the depressed lug. Pressure on the depressed lug to force it into a position in alignment with the other lug, separates the depressed lug laterally and permits the aperture 20 thereof to receive the extension I4 with a snap fastener action due to the resilience of the material of the plate I5.

If it is desired to remove the socket member from the attaching plate for any reason the plate may be distorted or bowed, as illustrated in Fig. 8, to a position where one of the notched lugs I5 may be disengaged from the extension. This disengaged lug may be then moved to the position illustrated in Fig. 'I and the socket member readily removed.

Advantages of the invention reside in the simplicity of the construction of the attaching late which makes possible the ready assembly of the socket member therewith, and the removal of it therefrom, prior to attachment to the support. The socket member is thus shiftably attached to the attaching plate and may be inwardly shifted relative to the aperture in the support to facilitate lining up with the stud member 3. Furthermore, the fastened installation may creep slightly, due to the shiftable mounting of the socket mem to rotate either of the parts tounlocked position, as for example in case the parts 2 or 4 are flexed or relatively shifted by increased pressure.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claims.

-I claim:

l. In combination,.a female fastener member designed to receive a rotary stud element having lateral projections, said member including a base having bearing extensions and a central outwardly dished apertured seat to receive and be engaged by the lateral projections of said stud element, and means for shiftably attaching said fastener member to an apertured support, said means comprising an attaching member having longitudinally spaced fastening portions for connection to the support, upstanding flanges formed on the marginal side portions of said attaching member intermediate said fastening portions, said flanges providing opposed apertured retainer portions disposed in planes parallel to a plane passed through said fastening portions and loosely receiving said bearing extensions and at least one of said retainer portions having a slotted portion leading into its aperture whereby one of said extensions may be inserted into the aperture through said slotted portion.

2. In combination, a female fastener member designed to receive a rotary stud element having lateral projections, said member including a base having bearing extensions and a central outwardly dished apertured seat to receive and be engaged by the lateral projections of said stud element, and means for shiftably attaching said fastener member to an apertured support, said means comprising an apertured attaching plate adapted to be attached to the support at longitudinally spaced points and providing a bearing surface for said extensions, upstanding apertured retainer portions on said plate loosely embracing said extensions, said attaching plate being slotted from the outer edge of one of the retainer portions to the central aperture of the plate to divide said retainer portion into relatively displaceable sections whereby one of the said extensions may be inserted into the aperture through the retainer slot by causing one of the displaceable sections to yield relative to the other.

3. In combination, a female fastener member lateral projections, said member including a base having bearing extensions and a, central outwardly dished apertured seat to receive and be engaged by the lateral projections of said stud element, and means for shiftably attaching said fastener member to an apertured support, said means comprising an apertured attaching plate attached to said support and providing a bearing surface for slidably supporting said extensions, upstanding slotted retainer portions on said plate loosely embracing said extensions, one side of said plate and one retainer portion being divided by a slot thereby providing relatively movable sections for cooperation with one of said extensions thereby permitting ready assembly and disassembly of the parts.

4. In combination, female fastener member designed to receive a rotary stud element having lateral projections, said member including a base having bearing extensions and a central outwardly dished apertured seat to receive and be engaged by the lateral projections of said stud element, and means for shiftably attaching said fastener member to an apertured support, said means comprising an apertured attaching plate attached to said support and providing a bearing surface for said extensions, upstanding apertured retainer portions on said plate loosely embracing said extensions, one side of the plate and one of said retainer portions being slotted to provide two 7 yieldable portions whereby one of the said extensions may be inserted into the aperture through the slot by causing one of the yieldable portions to yield relative to the other, and said apertured retainer portion having at least one cam surface'adjacent to the slot for cooperation with the extension as and for the purposes illustrated and described.

'5. Attaching means for shiftably attaching a female fastener member to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively flat centrally apertured body providing a, slidable bearing surface for the fastener member, opposed extensions forconnecting said plate to a support, and a pair of retainers extending from said body and disposed angularly to the plane of the hearing surface of the plate along opposed side margins thereof, said retainers each having elongated slots disposed in part in the plane of said bearing surface for loosely receiving parts of the fastener member, the elongated slot of one of the retainers being connected to the upper edge of the retainer and the central aperture of the plate by angularly disposed slots to divide said retainer into two relatively yieldable sections.

e. Attaching means for shiftably attaching a female fastener member type to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively flat centrally apertured body providing a slidable bearing surface for the fastener member, op-

posed extensions for connecting said plate to a support, and a pair of retainers extending from said body and disposed angularly to the plane of the bearing surface of the plate along opposed side margins thereof, said retainers each having elongated slots disposed in part in the plane of said bearing surface for loosely receiving-parts of the fastener member, one of said retainers and an adiacent portion of the plate between the central aperture thereof and such retainer being slotted to divide said retainer and plate portion into two relatively displaceable sections.

7. Attaching means for shiftably attaching a female fastener member to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively fiat centrally apertured body providing a slidable bearing surface for the fastener member, opposed extensions for connecting said plate to a support, and a pair of retainers extending from said body and disposed angularly to the plane of the bearing surface of the plate along opposed side margins thereof, said retainers each having elongated slots disposed in part in the plane of said bearing surface for loosely receiving parts of the fastener member, one of said retainers and an adjacent portion of the plate between the central aperture thereof and such retainer being slotted angularly. to the first named slot of said retainer to divide said retainer and plate portion into two relatively displaceable sections.

WILL/[ER H. CHURCHILL. 

